Wow, this thread is a theological train wreck! I'll do my best to chime in with my two cents and walk away.

I am deeply religious, but I consider myself to be a regular guy. I enjoy a cold beer and a good joke as much as anyone. I am also keenly aware of what a bad life I have led, and how easily I could fall back into temptation. I am called to be a man of charity. I take that to mean that I should not pass judgement or force my faith onto others. If I truly live it, people will see me and ask to follow.

I do not miss Sunday Mass. Sunday is a day for me to honor God. In addition to the sacrifice at Mass, I honor Him by relaxing and engaging in recreation. Remember the word is re-CREATION! I consider hunting to be consistant with this. So, if my religious and family obligations allow time for it, you bet I'll be in the woods!

I would never support laws that force others to adhere to the traditions of my faith.

Well stated! Afterall, it was religous freedom that motivated the early Europeans who settled here to risk life, limb and fortune to make the journey across the ocean for a new life.

Wow, this thread is a theological train wreck! I'll do my best to chime in with my two cents and walk away.

I am deeply religious, but I consider myself to be a regular guy. I enjoy a cold beer and a good joke as much as anyone. I am also keenly aware of what a bad life I have led, and how easily I could fall back into temptation. I am called to be a man of charity. I take that to mean that I should not pass judgement or force my faith onto others. If I truly live it, people will see me and ask to follow.

I do not miss Sunday Mass. Sunday is a day for me to honor God. In addition to the sacrifice at Mass, I honor Him by relaxing and engaging in recreation. Remember the word is re-CREATION! I consider hunting to be consistant with this. So, if my religious and family obligations allow time for it, you bet I'll be in the woods!

I would never support laws that force others to adhere to the traditions of my faith.

[size="3"]Well stated! Afterall, it was religous freedom that motivated the early Europeans who settled here to risk life, limb and fortune to make the journey across the ocean for a new life.[/size]

The problem with Sunday no-hunting laws is they are horribly out of step with the rest of society. They date back to a time when those recently-mentioned Protestants thought it was a good idea to make mandatory church attendance an issue between you and the state. Failure to attend was punishable by imprisonment. Questioning the law was considered heresy, and a man could face excommunication and expulsion. By the way: they didn't believe in freedom to practice just any religion, just theirs. I've got kin from those times; let me tell you-- they switched to Methodism at the first opportunity.

I am not knocking any man's desire to show his love for God by putting aside a whole day in the week just for rest and worship. Any man who wants to put his rifle and bow up on the Sabbath has my respect. Just don't send the game warden out to lecture me on my piety.

What really boils my bunny about these laws is that they seem to be left on the books out of fear for what the anti-hunting community will say and do if there is a move made to repeal them. I watched what happened in our state -- Cheese and Rice! I think it took most of a decade of maneuvering with half-steps before Ohio could finally dump its Sunday restriction entirely. Along the way you had a few seasons where only close family members could hunt on private property of no less than so-many acres and you had to be able to prove kinship. Believe me, there were a lot of adopted brother-in-laws by the dead first wife out hunting on Sundays. What that did to promote wildlife and protect the public good is beyond me. I also seriously doubt a wildlife officer ever checked a birth certificate or went through a family bible with a fine-toothed comb.

Back in the old days in Ohio, I used to take off on Friday after work, drive 3 hours from Cincinnati to Hocking Hills, pitch a tent and go to sleep about 2300. At 0400 I was up, hunted Saturday from first light to last and then go back to my tent and flop. I might scout a little on Sunday, maybe move a stand, but the bow had to stay cased. I was back on the road by Noon, and rode back to town listening to the Bengals lose. In Spring, I did all this again for turkey, but I could only hunt until Noon on Saturday-- 6 hours of driving for 6 hours of hunting. When I finally got an invite to hunt Kentucky, which included Sunday, I was gone!

you can always go to a saturday night mass the priest told me.I also bring a small bible with me to read when i want.i feel Its okay to hunt on sundays.

"Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the wildlife you hunt and for the forest and fields in which you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person." - Fred Bear

that is also an other optiona leter in the day sunday mass the late mass is noon

"Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the wildlife you hunt and for the forest and fields in which you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person." - Fred Bear

I would love to see Sunday hunting in Virginia. I hope it happens in my lifetime....just makes sense.
My family, we're church goers, but it all goes hand in hand, give respect to God and the animal(s) when they are taken....
(I hear shots fired all the time on Sunday, ....makes me curious to know whats going on "out there"....)

"Lets get this straight. If anyone around here is going to do any stealing, its going to be me!"
-Granpa Kabrevcus

Most states (I think about 40) allow Sunday hunting. Here in Pennsylvania it's a raging debate. I think the biggest obstacle to Sunday hunting here is that many farmers threaten to post their land if Sunday hunting is permitted.

We do have Sunday hunting for a few things, such as coyotes and (I think) crows. The Pennsylvania Game Commission has a proposal under consideration right now that would permit groundhog hunting on Sundays, with written permission of the landowner. I think they'll make a decision on it at their April meeting.

I live near the PA/New York line, and hunt a little on Sunday in NY in the afternoons after church.